A woman in Shangai was reportedly fired after she refused to buy food for her supervisor. The incident sparked a huge public backlash on social media platforms in China.
The lady, who is identified with just the surname Lou, was working in an educational institution in Shangai.
Earlier this month, Lou's supervisor, a woman who goes by the surname Liu, ordered her to arrange "hot Americano and an egg” for breakfast every morning, reported South China Morning Post.
Further, Liu demanded Lou to be on standby at all times like a personal butler to serve her water whenever needed.
Lou took the matter to the office chat group. To everyone's shock, the group administrator, instead of taking action against Lou's supervisor, admonished the former.
Later in the day, the human resources department fired Lou from her job and refused to offer any severance package for sudden termination.
After getting fired from the job for illogical reasons, Lou took to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese equivalent of Facebook, to share her predicament.
Lou's story gained the sympathy of thousands of people in Xiaohongshu. Also, the social media post attracted widespread condemnation of the company's toxic work culture.
"This boss treated her subordinate like a free assistant, which is unethical and constitutes bullying,” SCMP reported a user as saying on Xiaohongshu.
“Lou displayed significant bravery by exposing her boss’s misconduct,” said another.
After taking note of the public outcry on Xiaohongshu, the company was forced to reinstate Lou and fire her boss, Liu.
Lou's story highlights the need for a safe space for people to work with dignity, and have mutual respect between supervisors and subordinates.
Published 26 September 2024, 17:09 IST